Page 385 — British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF)

INTERNATIONAL FROZEN FOOD NETWORK ANNOUNCES ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION AT ANUGA 2021

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

The International Frozen Food Network (IFFN) – a gathering of the world’s leading frozen food associations – is taking part in Anuga for the first time in 2021.

Anuga is the leading global trade fair for the food and beverage industry, and will take place in Cologne on 9-13 October 2021.

The aim of the IFFN is to raise international awareness of the benefits of frozen food and share best practice within the international frozen food industry. In Cologne the network will focus on its efforts in the areas of communications, sustainability and food safety.

For the first time the IFFN will present a round table discussion on the theme: Fresh, healthy & sustainable: why frozen food is a game changer for a more sustainable food system. It is being hosted by international digital news platform FrozenFoodsBiz, and moderated by its director, John Saulnier.

Dr Sabine Eichner of the German Frozen Institute (Deutsches Tiefkühlinstitut e.V.) said: “The aim of the IFFN is to raise awareness of the benefits of frozen food and share best practice within the international frozen food industry. In Cologne the network will focus on its efforts in the areas of communications, sustainability and food safety.

“This is the first time the European and American associations have joined forces to actively promote frozen food. Whilst the benefits of freezing are widely recognised by the food industry, what is less appreciated is the key role frozen has to play in helping deliver healthier diets and a more sustainable industry by preserving food and reducing food waste. We hope this important roundtable will help spread knowledge and understanding.”

Participation is open to all interested frozen food associations, and those taking part so far are:

Adepale – Les Entreprises des Glaces et Surgelés (LEGS), France
American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), United States
Britisch Frozen Food Federation (BFFF), United Kingdom
Die Lebensmittelindustrie, Austria
Deutsches Tiefkühlinstitut (dti), Germany
Unione Nazionale Alimenti Surgelati (UNAS), Italy
VriesVersPlatform, Netherlands

The network will be represented at the German Frozen Institute‘s booth in the Anuga Frozen Food Hall, (Hall 4.2, booth B11/C10}. The outcomes of the round table discussion will be available at anuga@home on 9^th – 13^th October.

THE ESSENTIAL COLD STORAGE GUIDE: NEW COOLER AND FREEZER DOOR TECHNOLOGIES

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Natasha Hickmans

Image: Rite-Hite’s Barrier Glider cold storage door improves on the technology of traditional cold storage doors. Innovative Iso-Tek® panels are combined with a Thermal-Flex Sealing System to help achieve superior environmental separation at the opening with lower energy costs.

Doors and walls play important roles in facility safety and work zone separation, as well as cold chain integrity. High-speed fabric roll-up doors are becoming more popular across all types of industrial facilities due to their forklift-friendly safety design. A forklift collision with traditional, bi-parting doors can lead to driver injury, product or equipment damage and costly downtime due to repair. Fabric doors allows them to withstand forklift impact and snap right back into their tracks – greatly reducing both downtime and energy loss as compared to traditional doors.

Cold storage facility managers are also becoming increasingly aware of the energy-efficiency benefits of high-speed doors as opposed to slow moving traditional doors. In addition to food, they are highly applicable for keeping pharma product within heavily regulated set temperature levels mandated by government agencies. This awareness shift is taking place globally, with the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) recognising the importance of high-speed doors. Its 2015 edition includes a revision to Table C402.4.3, which describes the maximum air infiltration rates for fenestration assemblies. As a draft copy of the table notes, their fast cycle times (up to 2.5m per second) minimises air exchange, which is a key part of reducing overall energy
losses through a door opening.

Image: High-speed, roll-up doors are becoming a must for cooler and freezer applications.

Blast freezers present their own unique set of door challenges. Also known as “shock” freezers, blast freezers are widely used in the food industry to quickly freeze everything from TV dinners to fish to ice cream. Unfortunately, these massive blast freezers present a threat to in-plant safety for employees and equipment. The size, pressure and frost build-up in many blast freezers often makes the insulated panel doors very cumbersome to move. In some cases, these large doors (which can be as a large as 7m by 7m) have become so heavy and hard to open that employees have resorted to dangerous methods to open them, such as using a forklift. When left open even a crack, these doors can waste large amounts of energy.

Download the full Essential Guide here

HAVE YOUR SAY – HOW WOULD A 5-7 DAY NATIONAL POWER OUTAGE AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

As members will be aware, for some time now the BFFF have been active members of the Defra led Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG).

Our next meeting, which is due to take place on 21^st September, will be focussing on Power Resilience.

To facilitate the discussions, Defra would like your input and have asked members to answer the following questions:

In the event of a 5–7day power supply outage in the UK, how well would your business cope?
What mitigating steps have you put in place to deal with such an occurrence?

Any information you can provide would be gratefully received. Please send to deniserion@bfff.co.uk by close of play 20^th September.

Of course, all information will be treated in confidence and anonymised before feeding back into Defra.

NCSC RESOURCES TO HELP MAKE THE UK THE SAFEST PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK ONLINE

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Neesha Ramsingh-Cleary

At the last Food Chain Emergency Liaison (FCELG) meeting we were joined by representatives from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) who gave an informative update on the resources available to businesses.

Please see below a summary of those resources with all the links you should need. Feel free to pass this information on within your business and wider networks.

NCSC Subscription Centre – NCSC marketing emails:
Threat Reports and Advisories –The NCSC’s response, reports and advisories on cyber security matters affecting the UK.

The Weekly Threat Report – The NCSC’s weekly threat report is drawn from recent open source reporting.

NCSC Digital Lofts – Online seminars on cyber security topics, aimed at small- and medium-sized organisations.

NCSC Small Organisations Newsletter – The NCSC’s monthly cyber security newsletter for small organisations, including micro-enterprises, start-ups and the self-employed.

NCSC Cyber UK – CYBERUK is the UK government’s flagship cyber security event, held annually.

Cyber Security Pathway
A route the NCSC would suggest an organisation or individual takes through our products/guidance. The route outlined below, is starting at the most basic messaging.

Cyber Aware – Cyber Aware is the government’s advice on how to stay secure online. It outlines six actions to take to improve your cyber security and offers a tailored plan for you or your business.
NCSC Newsletter – sign up link and description as mentioned above.
Small Business Guide – Explains how to improve your cyber security; affordable, actionable advice for organisations.
Top Tips for Staff & Cyber Security for Small Organisations E-learning – Cyber Security for Small Organisations and Top Tips for Staff are both designed to be integrated into your organisation’s training platform.
Exercise in a Box – A free online tool which helps organisations find out how resilient they are to cyber-attacks and practise their response in a safe environment. Exercises include from 15-minute micro exercises, 1-3 hour discussion based exercises and a 3-4 hour simulation exercise.
Response & Recovery Guide -Guidance that helps organisations prepare their response to and plan their recovery from a cyber incident.
Ten Steps to Cyber Security – Take things a little further: breaks down the task of defending networks into ten essential components. – 10 Steps to Cyber Security – NCSC.GOV.UK
COVID -19 Guidance – This guidance includes home working, video conferencing and moving your organisation from physical to digital
Early Warning – Is available to any UK organisation with a static IP address or domain name. Early Warning helps organisations investigate cyber-attacks on their network by notifying them of malicious activity that has been detected in information feeds.
Logging Made Easy – Is available to any UK Organisation. LME helps organisations to install a basic logging capability on their IT estate enabling routine end-to-end monitoring of Windows systems.
Supply Chain Security – The guidance will provide organisations with an improved awareness of supply chain security, as well as helping to raise the baseline level of competence in this regard, through the continued adoption of good practice.
Cyber Essentials – Cyber Essentials government backed certification scheme helps you to guard against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate your commitment to cyber security. As mentioned, a lot of government and some private contracts are now requesting Cyber Certification as part of their tender process. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/overview

NCSC have recently launched the Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool – The Cyber Essentials Readiness Tool is a free, online resource that guides organisations through a series of questions related to the Cyber Essentials criteria to help prepare them for certification.
The tool asks questions about an organisation’s use of hardware, software, and boundary devices such as firewalls, as well as use of passwords and protections against malware and provides clear, non-technical advice for the user. Upon completion of the tool the user receives a tailored action plan that outlines the steps they need to take to achieve Cyber Essentials certification. This tool, developed by IASME on behalf of the NCSC – a part of GCHQ – was launched at the NCSC’s flagship conference CYBERUK 2021.

NCSC have recently released a few Threat videos. They can be accessed via the links below:

Ransomware: https://youtu.be/DWmMm5IhLDw
Phishing: https://youtu.be/NhaPVefCjDo
Security culture: https://youtu.be/Mz0VQx87xvc

ICELAND BRINGS ROME HOME WITH NEW EXCLUSIVE PICCOLINO RANGE

Posted on September 14, 2021September 14, 2021 by mel.matson@iceland.co.uk

Iceland is helping customers enjoy a luxurious dining experience for less this autumn with the launch of the new and exclusive Piccolino range in stores and online – including a spicy Mac n Cheese, irresistible Tiramisu and juicy meatballs in a traditional tomato sauce. All products priced at £3 are available in a two for £5 offer, and with prices as low as £1.50, this range brings restaurant quality food to shoppers’ homes for the most amazing value.

Iceland’s new Piccolino range is the ultimate Italian menu for home cooking. With everything from family favourite Piccolino Lasagne (£3.00, 525g) to the classic Italian dessert Piccolino Tiramisu (£3.00, 160g), there is something for every diner.

Families can treat themselves to a night out without leaving the front door thanks to the exclusive restaurant quality range – the best ever Italian products to land in Iceland freezers.

Iceland’s exclusive Piccolino Spicy Sausage Macaroni Cheese (£3.00, 400g) takes the ultimate cheese feast and infuses it with warming chilli sausages to really fire up the whole family’s forks.

For the pizza lovers there’s plenty to choose from including a Piccolino Margherita Pizza (£3.00, 428g) and a Piccolino Spicy Meat Pizza (£3.00, 458g). Shoppers can also pick up a Piccolino Cheese and Ham Pizza (£3.00, 419g) exclusively at The Food Warehouse. There’s also a Piccolino Garlic & Cheese Flatbread for just £1.50 – the perfect starter, snack or main accompaniment for any meal.

It wouldn’t be a quintessential Italian spread without plates piled high with delicious pasta and the Piccolino range does not fail to deliver. Alongside the classic Piccolino Lasagne (£3.00, 525g), Iceland is launching a Piccolino Spicy Lasagne (£3.00, 500g) which packs a fiery kick for those looking to spice up their dinner.

Don’t forget iconic dishes such as Iceland’s Piccolino Spaghetti Carbonara (£3.00, 370g) too, which features a creamy, white cheddar cheese sauce and is topped with smoked pancetta for the most authentic of Italian dinners. Iceland’s Piccolino Aubergine Parmegiana (£3.00, 425g) is also bound to be a crowd pleaser – sliced aubergines are layered with lashings of a classic tomato sauce, mozzarella and Pecorino cheese – ‘perfetto’.

Finally, to round off a belissimo dinner, Iceland shoppers can pick up the exclusive Piccolino Tiramisu (£3.00, 160g) for a traditional Italian infused with rich coffee for an authentic taste everytime.

The full range include:

For more information about the exclusive Piccolino range, please visit: https://www.iceland.co.uk/exclusive-brands/piccolino

Expansion of the ‘grey fleet’, gig economy and new technology prompts Health and Safety update on driving and riding for work

Posted on September 14, 2021January 9, 2026 by Sarah Collison

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), working in partnership with the Department for Transport (DfT), has published updated guidance on work-related road risk (WRRR) for employers and workers today (7 September 2021). The gig economy and the increasing use of personal vehicles for work purposes – the so-called ‘grey fleet’ – has created some confusion over where responsibility for legal compliance lies, says the regulator.

Driving for work is likely to be the most dangerous activity most workers will ever undertake.

Every week there are around 200 deaths and serious injuries involving people using the road for work
It is estimated that 40,000 people working in occupations such as sales, deliveries or taxi-driving are involved in road traffic collisions every year
Company car drivers in the UK are 49% more likely to be involved in traffic collisions, even after correcting for demographic variables and their relatively high mileages
Countless other will suffer stress, anxiety and/or minor injuries from unreported incidents.

HM Inspector for HSE’s Transport and Public Services Unit, Nicola Jaynes, commented:

“The Health and Safety at Work Act sets out the legal duties of employers and those engaged to work for them, their responsibilities to manage WRRR are nothing new. However, the landscape is changing and we wanted to ensure guidance reflects these changes and also remains relevant for years to come.

“Companies who otherwise have robust health and safety policies sometimes fail to consider their responsibilities adequately when it comes to driving or riding for work. Everyone should come home from work safe and well, whether they’re working behind a desk or behind the wheel.”

Prosecutions could lead to significant fines and custodial sentences, as well as driving bans and/or operator licences being revoked. In 2020, a company found guilty of failing to effectively manage fatigue for their employees driving for work, was fined £450,000 and ordered to pay £30,000 costs after two men lost their lives in a motorway collision.

All drivers and riders have an individual responsibility for their driving behaviour under road traffics laws. However, when driving for work, the organisation they work for has legal responsibility for their employees’ health and safety. For example, ensuring employees do not drive an excessive number of hours and checking their vehicle is properly maintained, even if it belongs to the employee. The regulations apply to all workers including those using two-wheeled vehicles, such as motorcycles, scooters and ebikes.

The updated guidance is informed by HSE research which included a literature review, survey and interviews with those working in the sector.

Nicola Jaynes added:

“The shocking number of injuries and fatalities associated with driving for work demonstrates that more needs to be done to manage WRRR. This updated guidance will give employers the guidance they need to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their drivers and riders. Organisations with a positive safety culture and clear, well managed policies for driving and riding for work can have a significant influence keeping our roads safe for everybody.”

A few reasons to become a member of BFFF

To find out more about becoming a member call 01400 283 095 or email the team

Join BFFF

Member profile on BFFF website

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Access to latest industry news and information

Weekly newsletter, press and media opportunities

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Marketing, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

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Free market data provided by Circana and World Panel

Access to industry specialists

Expert guidance from Technical and Health & Safety teams

Access to Primary Authority schemes and assured advice

H&S Audit Service/Advice

Free access to HR and legal guidance and advice line

Training and Education

Member Benefits

Exclusive Partnership deals on key products and services:

BFFF energy deals and rates
Vypr member deals and introduction
Defib Plus deals
Company Shop – membership
Mentor – MHE training health check

Exclusive access to networking opportunities and events:

Meet the Buyer events (retail & foodservice)
Annual Business Conference with networking dinner
Specialist H&S and Technical Conferences
Special interest groups (packaging, frozen food temperatures)
Annual Lunch
Awards Night

Become a member

Sponsorship Packages

We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities to BFFF members across our events throughout the year, with flexible packages that can be tailored to suit your business objectives.

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